Letters To The Editor

April 23, 1991

UNFAIR TREATMENT

I was verbally bullied by the owner of a service station (near an interstate exit) into paying twice for $5 worth of gas. I had paid $5 in advance as required by a sign on the pump, had pumped my gas and had begun to leave when the owner ran after me and intimidated me into paying again. I returned to the station 20 minutes later with my mother, a regular weekly customer of the station for the past five years. Despite much discussion, the owner insisted that I'd attempted to steal and added that teen-agers often drive away from his station without paying. I left very upset - without $5 or even an apology.

I resent being treated like a criminal because I am a teen-ager. I'm shocked that this man is obviously more interested in making an extra $5 than in good customer relations. Either he is oblivious to the possibility that he could've made a mistake, or he saw me - a teen-age girl traveling alone - as an easy target for an extra $5.

Diana Pope

Poquoson

NO TIME FOR SWEET TALK

The television program "Crossfire" recently invited state Sen. Emilie F. Miller, D-Fairfax, who advocates co-education at one of our all-male military academies. The induction of women has compromised physical training at the Air Force, West Point and Annapolis U.S. military academies.

Please let me explain: Women definitely have a role in administration, communications, computerization and similar roles. They can obtain this training through Reserve Officer Training Corps colleges and receive their commissions.

They should not, repeat, should not, be combatants, because there are too many ifs, i.e., physical strength. They require special women's facilities and do not think the same because of gender differences. Let us assume there is a serious crisis and disagreement. You can tell a male counterpart off, and tell him to go to blazes or some other uncomplimentary remark. Should you say this to a woman, it is identified as "harassment." Give me a break. We are not playing "patty cake." Survival is at stake. There is no time for "sweet talk."

The opinion of Miller is compatible to U.S. Rep. Pat Schroeder of Colorado. Of her flimsy argument "that the taxpayer's funds are used, it should be a coed": what a naive answer. Practically all colleges, private or otherwise, receive some federal assistance, which includes scholarships. Wonder how many millions it would cost taxpayers to convert to a coed enterprise?

Save Virginia Military Institute as an all-male institution. We may be sorry if we don't.

John Fedonchuk

Lt. Col., USAF (ret.)

Smithfield

TOO MANY ADS

Among the outpouring of love, happiness, thankfulness and excitement surrounding the return of our service people from Desert Shield/Storm is an apparent underlying and sinister greed. The flag is being used to promote sales. Car salesmen and financiers gouge service people with high prices and exorbitant interest rates, and now the Daily Press publishes an "Album for Service Personnel" that not only gouges readers and advertisers but the service people it supposedly is designed to recognize.

The Daily Press "Coming Home Proud" special insert April 16 was most disappointing because of the overwhelming amount of advertising space used. Much more space was expected to be dedicated to the album. Much less space was expected to be dedicated to Daily Press sales profits. Surely you could have included more images and stories about local service personnel. I would be most interested in knowing the inventory of pictures, cards and other personal items provided to you by families and friends but not used in the special insert. To those family and friends you owe an apology.

E. E. Crossland

Grafton

DAY WAS A SUCCESS

What an exciting day we had at Hampton-Coliseum Holiday Inn Conference Center on April 11. The occasion celebrated was the Eighth Annual Celebrity Luncheon. This event is sponsored by the Hampton Child Protection Team Inc. The membership of this group is composed of volunteers and professionals from the community who contribute to the prevention and solution of the problems of child abuse and neglect.

On behalf of the Team, I would like to thank the waiters and their guests for the time and energy they gave to make this day a success. Through the efforts of these folk from the political, religious, civic, health care, governmental, military, volunteer and professional sectors, we were able to raise $6,233. This money will be used to support and continue a variety of projects designed to help prevent child abuse and neglect in the city of Hampton.

The multidiscipline teams from Newport News and York County sponsored their annual lunch on that day also. We are proud of their efforts. These groups and their guests generated another $8,900 to be used for similar programs in their communities.